


Audrey Parker is not Immune to the Flu

by serendipityxxi



Category: Haven - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-21
Updated: 2014-10-21
Packaged: 2018-02-22 00:41:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2488070
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/serendipityxxi/pseuds/serendipityxxi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I'm fine, Nathan." She's been swearing it all week through her red stuffy nose and the cough that makes her sound like a two-pack-a-day smoker. He won't even mention the color of the phlegm he's seen her spit up. And still she's come into the office.</p><p>Set in late S1/early S2. No mention of Fraudrey.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Audrey Parker is not Immune to the Flu

  
"I'm fine, Nathan."

She's been swearing it all week through her red stuffy nose and the cough that makes her sound like a two-pack-a-day smoker. He won't even mention the color of the phlegm he's seen her spit up. And still she's come into the office.  
  
She swore it when she sat around for three hours on Wednesday wearing her overcoat and shivering in their well heated office. He knows the temperature gauge is stuck at 75 so he never overheats by accident.  
  
She swore it on Thursday as she downed aspirin by the handful and rubbed her temples. Nathan was secretly glad he'd made Laverne promise not to call them out for anything that seemed like a Trouble til Audrey was better.  


It's Friday now, she's been sick for almost three days. Nathan finds her asleep sitting upright on their couch. Her head is uncomfortably bent backwards to rest against the top of the back of the couch. She's breathing noisily through her mouth and there are files spread across her lap and the couch. The very unattractive string of drool shouldn't bring on the fond smile that's on his lips but he can't help it. She's just so damn stubborn.  
  
He rescues the files then shuts the blinds in their office. She's a pretty pathetic sight. He turns off the overheads but leaves on his desk lamp. Then greatly daring - knowing he might lose an arm and she could make him feel the loss of it - he slides said arm under her legs and another behind her shoulders and levers her into a lying position on the couch. She snuffles a complaint but he's lucked out, the decongestant has her in a deep slumber.  
  
Nathan pulls off her boots and covers her with his jacket. She's not that short but it still drapes past her knees. He puts his hand to her forehead and can actually feel how hot she is. Her cheeks are pink while the rest of her face is pale. He should wake her, make her take more aspirin but she'll never go back to sleep. Instead he wets his handkerchief and brings it back to lay across her forehead. He'll never admit to owning a handkerchief if she asks. She'd never let him live it down.  


 

Satisfied with his partner's level of comfort Nathan goes back to his desk and opens the files she'd been going through. He makes it through most of the stack even though he keeps stealing glances at her. Like most people she looks younger in her sleep, vulnerable. It freaks Nathan out a little to be honest. He's so used to Audrey being this unstoppable force. It's odd to think of her as something so mundane as vulnerable.  


 

He goes back to his paperwork but her loud breaths fill the office, her perfume still lingers in the air though he's pretty sure she hasn't made the effort to put on perfume since Tuesday.  
  
He takes a swig from the coffee cup at his elbow and then makes a face. It was her coffee, he can taste the sugar. Damnit. If there was any chance of him not getting sick off her germs...  
  
He sighs heavily and sits back in his chair, studying his partner.

She rolls over and without opening her eyes says "I know Twilight might have tried to make it less creepy but it's still weird when you stare at sleeping people, Wuornos." Her voice is raspy and lower than usual.  
  
Nathan chuckles quietly despite the Twilight reference going right over his head.  
  
"How about taking pictures of sleeping people with drool all down their chin and posting it on the internet? Is that not 'in' anymore, either?" he teases, making finger quotes around 'in'.  
  
Audrey's eyes open comically wide and her hand comes up to swipe hurriedly at her cheek.  
  
"You didn't!"  
  
Nathan gives her his best blank look.  
  
"You wouldn't," she says surely a few seconds later.  
  
"You're right," he spreads his hands and smiles. "Maybe not the internet...but I might have sent it to Vince and Dave for their 'local color' column..."  
  
"You're a dead man, Wuornos," she promises though she makes no move to get up from the couch, in fact, she even pulls his jacket a little closer.  
  
Nathan peers at his phone and pretends to gasp in surprise. "Oh, what's this? I might not have hit send just yet, Parker, you're in luck,"  
  
"You're the one who's in luck," she grumbles at him, blue eyes falling closed almost all on their own.  
  
"Nope," he responds. "Pretty sure it's you because I'm in a giving mood and I could be bribed into not sending it at all."  
  
Audrey cracks an eye open. "Bribed? How?" She may be sick but her voice is full of suspicion.  
  
"Let me drive you home, and if you stay there for the rest of the weekend I won't help the Teagues find any local color this week though the red nose is very attractive on you, Parker."  
  
Audrey scowls and sits up, wrapping her arms around herself. She looks a little lost despite the expression.  
  
"Luckily for you I was going to do that anyway," she grumbles.  
  
Nathan can't keep the surprise off his face.  
  
"It's 5:30 on a Friday, Wuornos, even I'm not that much of a workaholic," she tells him.  
  
Nathan laughs and helps her into her jacket when she stands fumbling with the sleeve for a long moment. She hands him back his own with a small "thanks" and he slips into it by rote.  


 

When they get outside in the cool evening air Parker steps a little closer to him, shivering in the sudden breeze. Nathan reaches out and draws her into his side.  
  
She tucks herself into the front passenger seat, curls her legs up under her and is nearly dozed off against the window by the time he gets around to his side.  
  
"Still with me, Parker?" he asks as he puts the bronco in drive.  
  
She rumbles an affirmative and he smiles. So stubborn.  
  
They are quiet most of the ride until Audrey breaks it. He's surprised when she speaks, he thought she'd fallen asleep again.  
  
"Nathan?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Thanks," she says in a small voice, "It's nice having someone be all hovery and weird, who puts wet handkerchiefs on my forehead." The 'I've never had that before' goes unsaid but it still makes Nathan's heart clench at the thought of someone as giving and vibrant as Audrey being so alone. Hell, even the Chief put wet handkerchiefs on his forehead.  
  
Nathan wants to say something to that, he wants to squeeze her hand, something. Instead he says, "No wonder if you're this much of a handful," he teases.  
  
Audrey flicks his earlobe, startling a yelp out of him. She grins.  
  
Nathan reaches out and finds her hand by touch, yet another example of her Audrey-magic. It's warm and sweaty with her fever. He gives it a squeeze and says "Any time, partner, any time."  
  
She doesn't reply but squeezes back and leaves her hand in his for the rest of the drive.  



End file.
